Pamphilos of Caesarea
Pamphilos of Caesarea ( ancient Greek Πάμφιλος ὁ Καισάρειος , Latinized Pamphilus ; * around 240 in Beirut ; † February 309 in Caesarea Maritima ) was a Christian theologian, saint and martyr . He was considered one of the most important Christian scholars of his time, founded a school in Caesarea Maritima in the succession of Origen and built an extensive library there. He was the teacher of Eusebius of Caesarea , who described the life (vita) of Pamphilus in a book that is now lost and known only through quotations.
Life
According to the book On the Palestinian Martyrs by Eusebius, he came from a respected, wealthy family in Beirut, received a good education there, and left Beirut after giving away all his belongings to the needy. After Photios , who follows Pamphilus' Apology of Origen, he went to Alexandria , where he was a student of the head of the catechism school Pierius and a follower of Origen's teaching.
In Caesarea, Pamphilus was ordained a priest ( presbyter ). He built up the then famous Christian library of Caesarea, for which he himself copied the works of Origen himself ( Hieronymus , De viris illustribus ). Among other things, the library contained what is probably the only copy of Origen's Hexapla , a Bible edition in seven parallel Greek versions that Jerome could still see himself. The library also contained a now-lost Hebrew version of a Gospel attributed to Matthew (Hieronymus, De viris illustribus , Chapter 3), probably one of the three known Jewish Christian Gospels (see Nazarene Gospel ). Jerome reports that Pamphilus supported poor scholars and supplied them with copies of biblical writings that he had in store for these purposes. He also gave copies to women to study. The library suffered losses from the Roman persecution of Christians, but probably survived until it was conquered by the Saracens in 638.
In November 307, Pamphilos was arrested, tortured and imprisoned as part of the Diocletian persecution of Christians . Previously, one of his students ( Apphianus ) had been cruelly executed after he had disturbed the governor in Caesarea during a sacrifice. He acted of his own accord, his plans to do so he had previously hidden from other Christians. In captivity, Pamphilus continued his work and worked with Eusebius on an Apology for Origen, which Eusebius, who was also imprisoned, then supplemented and published. In February 309, Pamphilus was beheaded along with other Christian leaders. Before that, he had to experience how his favorite student (and slave) Porphyrios was executed because he had asked for the bodies of Pamphilus and his comrades to be surrendered after their scheduled execution in order to bury them.
Of his Apology to Origen, only the first book (of six) has survived in a Latin translation by Tyrannius Rufinus .
He is a saint of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. His feast day is February 16 (Roman Catholic) and June 1 (Orthodox).
literature
- Alain Le Boulluec: Pamphilos de Césarée. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques . Volume 5/1, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-271-07335-8 , pp. 111-115
- Eva Hoffmann-Aleith: Pamphilos (No. 27), Pauly-Wissowa , 36th half-volume, second third, Palatinus to Paranatellonta, 1949, Sp. 349/350
- Otto Bardenhewer : History of the early church literature, Freiburg, Volume 2, 2nd edition 1914, p. 242ff
Web links
- Francis Joseph Bacchus: St. Pamphilus of Cæsarea . In: Catholic Encyclopedia , Volume 11, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1911.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hieronymus, De viris illustribus , English translation, New Advent, Section 3 (Jerome)
- ↑ Prokopios of Caesarea used them in the 6th century: Carsten Colpe : Caesarea 3. In: Der Kleine Pauly (KlP). Volume 1, Stuttgart 1964, column 1004 f.
- ↑ Eusebius, On the Palestinian Martyrs .
- ↑ His brother Aedesius, also a student of Pamphilus, died at the same time in Alexandria as a martyr for similar reasons.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pamphilos of Caesarea |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Πάμφιλος ὁ Καισάρειος (Greek); Pamphilus of Caesarea |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Christian theologian, saint and martyr |
| DATE OF BIRTH | at 240 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Beirut |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 309 |
| Place of death | Caesarea Maritima |